Olympus to Raze
by totallyunrelated
Summary: Zeus, fearing that the Seven (and Nico) are too powerful, casts them into Tartarus, claiming that they have been conspiring against Olympus. In Tartarus, the demigods find unlikely allies who promise revenge. Beware, Olympus ... when the demigods are no longer standing by their side, will they fall at last?
1. Trepidation

~PERCY~

The elevator ride up to Olympus was oddly silent, even with eight ADHD demigods crammed inside it. He caught a flash of blonde hair out of the corner of his eye and turned to look at his beautiful girlfriend, Annabeth, daughter of Athena, who squeezed his hand gently and nestled her head in the crook of his shoulder. His muscles relaxed, as they always did in her presence, but he still felt tense and on edge. Ever since that morning, when they'd received the news of their summons to Olympus, he'd been feeling a tingle of unease. His gut was telling him something was very, very wrong, and through almost six years of being a demigod, he'd learned to always trust his gut. And right now, his gut was screaming at him to run far, far away from Olympus. It didn't help that all his friends had admitted to feeling the same thing, as well, and made him dread what was awaiting them on Olympus. But as much as they wanted to flee, you just couldn't ignore a summons from Olympus.

"He looked around the tight space at his fellow demigods, teens that he would claim as his closest friends. Jason, blonde-haired and blue-eyed, his arm around Piper, still with her signature choppy hair and feathers (no matter how much her mother, Aphrodite, disapproved); Frank, who looked ready at any moment to turn into a dragon, or perhaps an iguana, Hazel beside him, her fourteen-karat gold irises shining with fear; Leo, fiddling with screws and tools as always, and Nico, standing silently in the shadows, his aura radiating death. And finally, Annabeth, her stormy grey eyes calculating as always, nestled against his side. He tightened his grip on her. As long as we're together, he thought, recalling their deadly trip to Tartarus. He looked around at his friends once again, and knew he would die to protect any one of them from harm. They were more than his friends - they were family now.

"Around the 200th floor, Leo couldn't take it anymore. "Who in Hades chose this elevator music?" he asked in an annoyed tone.

For the past fifteen minutes, they'd been listening to cringeworthy tracks that sounded like they were wailed by two-year-old screaming toddlers. Percy silently vowed never to take the elevator up to Olympus ever again, especially not with other ADHD demigods who could wreak havoc.

"Apollo, probably," he said with a shrug.

"For the god of music, his taste sucks," Leo muttered, and set to work with his tinkering once again.

Another fifteen minutes passed.

"A-ha!" Leo suddenly shouted triumphantly.

Everyone flinched, reaching for their weapons (not the best idea in a cramped elevator!) Annabeth's dagger nearly stabbed Percy's arm, Jason's gladius almost took Piper's eye out and sheared off a few locks in the process, and Frank accidentally turned into a bear and roared, taking everyone's eardrums with it.  
"LEO!" they all yelled, putting away their weapons hastily. Frank turned back into himself, smiling sheepishly.

Leo held up his hands, grinning impishly, and fiddled around with his newly made contraption. Suddenly, loud music started blasting out of it, drowning out the tinny elevator music.

Percy was extremely impressed. He'd taken a woodworking class once in school, and let's just say that it did not go so well. He knew Leo was a son of Hephaestus and so had a natural talent for these sorts of things, but it was still kind of amazing to see him at it.

As if Apollo was listening in, at that moment the elevator music increased in volume so it could be heard over Leo's music. In retaliation, Leo cranked up the sound on his contraption ... and then a loud boom could be heard from the elevator. Leo looked triumphant.

"Ha! He broke the speakers," he said smugly, lowering the volume of the music so they could hear him again. Everyone present just rolled their eyes, used to his antics.

* * *

The feeling of trepidation only grew the closer they got to the throne room. Percy noted with unease that Olympus was oddly silent; the streets were vacant and the wind whistled eerily through them. It was like something out of a horror movie; but then again, much of his life had basically been a horror movie. He wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be a trap, knowing Zeus's paranoid nature, but there was nothing they could do about it. After all, they were only demigods; they were no match for the gods.

Olympus, normally so bright and lively, was suspiciously silent, the eternally present music and chatter gone. It even seemed duller in appearance, despite the lively colours. Every instinct in Percy's body told him to leave, leave _now_ , but he couldn't. Annabeth pressed close to his side, one hand on her dagger, her grey eyes flitting everywhere, scoping out possible exits. It was more a habit than anything else; if any danger awaited them here, they would never escape. He gripped Riptide in pen form, glancing around at his companions, all who looked visibly tense. None of them had any idea what awaited them.

All of the buildings, even Apollo's temple that was normally supernaturally bright, were dark and looked uninhabited. As they advanced, Percy's eye caught a glimmer of light, and he stopped in his tracks. The throne room, less than ten paces ahead of them was lit up like a beacon, eclipsing the grim and silent buildings all around it, and he had to shield his eyes from the glare. It could easily be seen all the way from the elevator, and he wondered why they'd only noticed it now. The demigods exchanged uneasy glances, but in the end they could do nothing but face what laid inside.

* * *

The doors creaked as they swung open, and Percy winced internally but knew not to show any emotion to the Olympians. As one, every eye in the room turned to the newcomers, and Percy finally realized why Olympus seemed abandoned. The throne room was more packed than he'd ever seen it, with the Olympians, as usual, on their large thrones and a massive crowd of minor gods, nature spirits and even fellow demigods and Huntresses crowded behind the throne, some standing, some on chairs and even some on folding chairs. Alarm rose in Percy, and his body tensed imperceptibly. Beside him, Annabeth squeezed his hand tighter, almost to the point of pain, but he didn't complain, just held her closer. He felt his companions moving closer as well. He felt, more than saw, Annabeth's eyes scanning the room and reaching a conclusion.

"It looks like ... a trial," she whispered, her eyes flashing with fear. It was barely a breath, but the demigods, with their heightened senses, heard her words and reached for their weapons.


	2. Rage

~ANNABETH~

Collectively, they took a tentative step forward, and the doors slammed shut with a resounding _crack_ that echoed off the eerily silent hall. Annabeth's first instinct was to jump, but she steeled herself and schooled her face into a mask of no emotion. She'd gotten good at that from years of making herself ignore her stepmother. Next to her, she felt Percy tense, unconsciously shifting to a battle position. His grip on her hand tightened. She allowed herself a faint smile at the way he subconsciously moved slightly in front of her, as if to protect her. They both knew she could protect herself, but it was a nice gesture nonetheless.

Annabeth's mind was moving at a million miles a minute as her eyes tracked across the room, from the stony faced Olympians to the confused faces of her fellow demigods. Her eyes locked on one in particular: a spiky-haired beauty with electric eyes flashing a message at her: _What's going on?_ Thalia Grace. Current lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis. Annabeth shrugged minutely at her in response. _I don't know._ Thalia looked confused, but there was a tinge of alarm behind the confusion. So she felt it, too. The spine-chilling trepidation that was creeping up on them, telling them to _run, run away_ , telling them that something was seriously wrong here and they were in immense danger. Annabeth wasn't surprised. She no longer trusted the Olympians, not after the fiasco with Athena/Minerva and her subsequent fall to Tartarus. Especially after she and her friends had been left to fight the Giants alone before the Olympians seemingly showed up to 'save the day'. They were useless pricks, the lot of them.

She wrenched her gaze away from Thalia as Zeus began to speak. It was a load of bullshit - all powerful Olympians, blah blah blah, we are mighty, blah blah blah, we defeated Gaia - so she tuned him out, afraid that if she listened any longer she would be unable to hold her tongue and say something like, _No you didn't, cowards!_ We _did!_ Which would definitely get her blasted into ashes, heroine of Olympus or no.

Instead, she started studying Percy out of the corner of her eye. Even though it had been a year since they started dating, he still took her breath away every time she looked at him. She still couldn't quite believe he was hers, all hers; she half expected him to rip his hand out of hers at any given moment and push her away during every kiss. But he didn't; instead he held her tighter and pulled her closer. She couldn't believe she'd gotten so lucky to have _Percy Jackson_ , the guy she'd been not-so-subtly crushing on since she was twelve, as her boyfriend. She sighed internally as his sea-green eyes flicked to her, giving her a reassuring smile, and drank him in. _Mine, forever_ , she thought, trying to convince the part of herself that was still that twelve-year-old girl who thought her crush would never come to fruition.

She snapped out of her daydreaming as Percy's expression changed. It was so imperceptible that anyone else would still have thought that his face was carved out of stone, expressionless as steel, but she knew him better than that, knew his every emotion. And right now, what she was reading off his face was dread. Zeus's voice abruptly flooded back into her ears.

"-traitors!"

Her eyes widened. What had she missed? Her gaze caught on Thalia again, who now looked frantic, struggling to get through the crowd to them and making very little progress. She looked so frustrated that even from this distance, Annabeth could see the little sparks flying off her body, shocking her neighbours. Thalia's wild eyes met Annabeth's and she mouthed, _run!_ But she knew as well as they did that they couldn't.

She could feel the fury coming off Percy, but mixed in with that was resignation and acceptance. They'd all known, to some extent. They'd all expected it. Jason's body was now crackling with electricity; Piper's grip was white-knuckled on her dagger; Leo now held some sort of explosive that he'd somehow managed to make in the past five minutes; Frank was turning slightly scaly, preparing for a transformation; Hazel had gems popping up all around her feet; and Nico's body had half turned to shadow, prepared to shadow-travel all of them. _But to where?_ Annabeth wondered idly. There was nowhere they could go that they wouldn't eventually be found by the gods; it would be a life of constantly running, constantly looking over their shoulders. Annabeth didn't want to live that kind of life. Sometimes, she wished she'd never been born a demigod; but if she hadn't, she wouldn't have met Percy. And she wouldn't trade Percy for anything.

"These eight demigods have been found guilty of conspiring with Gaia against Olympus!" Zeus bellowed. "They are convicted of treason and as such, will be sentenced to _Tartarus!_ "

Annabeth felt nothing but rage. How _dare_ they? After everything they'd done for Olympus? _If it wasn't for us, you wouldn't be here right now!_ she wanted to scream. They didn't even have any proof. _All we have to do is swear on the River Styx we didn't do it,_ she thought, but even as the thought entered her mind she knew it was foolish. It wasn't about whether or not they had conspired with Gaia. It was the fact that they'd defeated Gaia, which had shown Zeus that they were too powerful, and had the potential to overthrow him. If they swore on the River Styx, he would just find another way to dispose of them quietly.

She looked around the room again, at the faces of the Olympians. Beside Zeus, Hera had a delighted sneer on her face, and Annabeth had to resist the urge to give her a very rude gesture. Hera had never liked her anyway, and the feeling was mutual. Most of the Olympians looked like they couldn't care one way or another. Typical gods; always thinking that mortals were beneath them. What did it matter, when their lives were so short anyway? None of them looked the slight bit distressed, and Annabeth felt the last spark of hope vanish. There would be no miraculous escapes, no almost-brushes with death. This was it.


	3. Dread

~THALIA~

When she landed in the Olympian throne room, courtesy of Lady Artemis, her first instinct was to draw her spear and shield. (What? That's what you get for being a demigod.) The people who were unlucky enough to face her flinched away from the sight of Medusa on Aegis and cleared a wide berth around her, all of them well aware of the reputation the daughter of Zeus wielded and not wishing to get on the wrong side of her. Although she knew it was wrong, Thalia allowed herself a slight smirk. Zeus's children had the worst fatal flaw, in her opinion: lust for power. She'd struggled with it throughout her whole demigod career, in the end triumphing over it by choosing to be a part of the Hunters of Artemis over being the prophecy child. Sometimes, though, it would still trouble her. No matter what her rational mind said, her subconscious to some extent still loved the feeling of having power over other people. At times like this, she cursed her father.

She turned her attention to the more immediate problem. Lady Artemis had been quite vague in her explanation, only saying that everyone was required to be at Olympus, and flashed them here. Looking around, Thalia could see that the Throne Room was abnormally packed, with all manner of minor gods, demigods and even nature spirits and satyrs. She frowned in confusion. According to what she knew of her father, he would never let "lesser beings" like this (his words, not hers) defile his precious Throne Room. So what was going on?

Spotting Reyna among the crowd, looking as confused as she felt, she started to make her way through the crowd to the Roman praetor. Unsurprisingly, it was quite easy given her tendency to flash Aegis in the face of anyone who would not budge, and in minutes she was by Reyna's side.

"Do you know what this is about?" She had to shout to be heard over the din that was everyone else speaking.

Reyna looked back at her and said something, but it was lost in the noise. Thalia rolled her eyes. "WHAT?" she yelled.

"It looks like a trial!"

Trust a Roman to know. They were all about trials. Greeks were more like, kill first, ask questions later. That was Thalia's preferred way, anyway.

"A trial for what?"

To that, Reyna had no response, but Thalia could feel a chill slithering over her spine. She had a feeling that whatever it was for, it couldn't be something good.

* * *

They waited for what seemed like eternity to Thalia's ADHD. She made small talk with Reyna to pass the time and actually found the other girl's company quite enjoyable. She'd never actually met Reyna before, only a cursory glimpse during the war at Camp Half-Blood, but had heard of her stiffness and coldness, courtesy of her Roman upbringing. The girl in front of her was nothing like that at all. She was lively and smiling, gesturing wildly with her hands whenever a topic she was passionate about came up. _She'd make a good Hunter_ , Thalia mused, but dismissed the thought, having already observed in the short time she'd known Reyna how protective she was of New Rome. She would never leave.

All conversation suddenly ceased, leaving Thalia's ears ringing. She and Reyna looked up simultaneously, following the crowd's gaze to the massive doors. Eight silhouettes emerged, and Thalia felt the shiver creeping up her spine dig its claws into her back. A warning. Dread filled her stomach as silence blanketed the room, oppressive, as her friends stepped into the room and the doors slammed shut behind them. Reyna inhaled sharply, realization dawning in her eyes, and Thalia's gut clenched. She didn't want to believe it. What reason would the Olympians have to condemn their heroes? But in her heart, she knew. The power-hungry fools viewed them as a threat, and they would do what they did to all threats: eliminate them.

* * *

She caught Annabeth's eye as she looked around the room. If anyone would know what was going on, it was the daughter of Athena. _What's going on?_ she asked silently, and felt her stomach drop as Annabeth shrugged minutely, clearly conveying, _I don't know_. But she did, just like Thalia did. They just didn't want to face it.

But as Zeus droned on, reality sank in, and horror washed over Thalia.

"This isn't a trial, it's a _farce,"_ she hissed to Reyna, who nodded in agreement, her gaze still fixed on the eight unmoving figures, her lips pressed into a thin line.

Thalia's jaw clenched. She would not stand for this. Her friends, had just saved Olympus - some of them twice over - and this was how the bastards would repay them? No. She would not let this happen. Before she knew it, she was pushing through the crowd, wielding Aegis like a battering ram, before feeling a hand on her arm.

Reyna clutched at her, eyes wide. "You can't go down there! It's suicide!" she hissed frantically.

Thalia gritted her teeth. "I _know_ ," she said. "But I can't just sit by and do nothing! Those are my friends! My brother. My _family_." There was a wealth of pain in those words, and Reyna's grip softened. Thalia tugged her arm out of her grasp. "I have to do this."

On impulse, she whirled around and held her hand out to Reyna. "You could come with me," she offered. "Two is always better than one."

For a moment, it looked like Reyna was going to agree, but then her expression hardened. "Rome needs me," she said. "If Frank ..." she gestured helplessly to them. "He is the other praetor. If I go as well, Camp Jupiter will lose both its praetors. And that cannot happen. Even now, Octavian's cronies are vying for power. I can't let that happen." She looked at Thalia pleadingly, begging her to understand.

Thalia had been expecting it, but it still hurt. She knew Reyna valued her duty to Rome above all else, so she smiled at the other girl and vanished through the crowd. But for Thalia, nothing was more important than her family. Apart from her blood brother, Jason, both Percy and Annabeth had been there for her in the absence of her parents and Luke. She owed it to them to at least try.

* * *

She made it down just as Zeus was speaking his final verdict. It had been tough; the crowd had been enthusiastically baying for blood, teeming in a mass before her. They disgusted her. Just a few weeks ago, they would have been cheering for their "heroes". And with just one word from her father, they did a complete 180? She shook her head in revulsion and skirted the edge of the crowd to get closer. She didn't have a plan; but she just knew she couldn't sit up there and watch it unfold.

The Olympians were now in sight. They had shrunk down to about ten feet so she could see their expressions clearly. She looked up at Lady Artemis. Out of all the gods, she would have expected her lady to be the most sympathetic, having bonded with her mortal Hunters, but the goddess's face didn't show an ounce of compassion. Thalia's face morphed into a snarl. How could she have ever thought the goddess was humane? None of them were. They were all cruel and evil, and for a second she thought, _Luke was right_. Oh, he wasn't right with how he'd gone about it, but at the end, his values had been right. She wished she'd been with him, and not turned into a pine tree. Maybe then, they could have made a real difference. But the past was the past, and there was no changing it. However, she _could_ change the present.


	4. Resentment

~PERCY~

Zeus, the drama queen, was still droning on. At this point, everyone in the throne room had ceased listening to him, but didn't quite dare to show it. Percy shut out his incessant voice and instead fixed his attention to the shadow lurking on the edge of the crowd with electric-blue eyes that flitted over to them now and again. Thalia Grace. He caught her eye. _Don't do it,_ he told her silently, but knew it was useless. Thalia was much like him; unpredictable, a wild spirit. It was one of the reasons they'd clashed so badly when they'd first met. Like Annabeth said, they'd either be the best of friends or the worst of enemies; Percy was just glad it had turned out to be the former. Even though they were all demigods, Thalia, and maybe Nico, were really the only ones who truly understood. Understood what it meant to be a forbidden child; to be under the burden of a prophecy; to be liked and feared in equal measure. She just got him in a way that no one could, maybe not even Annabeth. So he could often tell what she was thinking, and she him.

Thalia's eyes flashed. He knew her well enough to know she'd do it, even if she didn't have a plan. They were alike in that way; always rushing in headfirst. Attack first, talk later. Not like Annabeth, the strategist. It was just what he'd do; rush in to save his friends even at his own cost. But he didn't want to drag Thalia into this. She would be fine, as Artemis' lieutenant. She didn't have to share their fate. She could live out the rest of her immortal days happy in the Hunt. But he knew she wouldn't. It just wasn't who she was. Even though her fatal flaw wasn't loyalty, like him, she too was loyal to a fault.

Zeus had finally stopped talking, but Percy knew, with mounting dread, what that meant. Their end was near. Tartarus ... the rational part of the mind was saying _I don't want to go there ever again_ , but the darker side of him, the side which had turned the goddess of Misery's own poison on her, was jumping around gleefully. The fragile glass ball inside him that had shattered the moment he'd choked Akhlys had never quite healed right; without a doubt, he knew that if he went back to that place, it would only worsen. He could never forget the look Annabeth gave him, like _he_ was the monster; he could never survive seeing it again.

"-and for their crimes, these eight demigods shall be sentenced to Tartarus!" Zeus boomed, lifting his master bolt.

But before he could throw it, Thalia shot out from her hiding place, standing defiantly in front of her friends.

 _No!_ Percy screamed at her mentally, willing her to step aside. He couldn't bear to see her sacrifice herself for them.

"Wait!" she called out, her voice ringing out loud and clear. Zeus looked at her, as if wondering where she'd come from, but then shrugged and raised his Master Bolt once again, looking indifferent even as he was about to smite his own daughter. Looking upon the scene, Percy felt his rage flare up. He should have known the gods wouldn't change. Should have known they'd pull something like this. He had been a fool to believe that they, so set in their ancient ways and their lust for power, would ever be able to change. To them, their children were nothing but tools, pawns to use as they pleased. Flesh shields to use in battles that they could never hope to win. Disposable soldiers to fight their meaningless wars for them.

 _Luke was right_ , he thought. He had been right to believe in overthrowing the Olympians, although he wasn't right in the way he went about it. All gods were spiteful and cruel, using mortals just for their entertainment; it was just in their nature. Demigods couldn't depend on anyone else but themselves.

Thalia was still standing protectively in front of them, unfazed in the face of the Master Bolt pointed straight at her. "Isn't this council a democracy?" she asked desperately. "You can't just make this decision yourself! You have to put it to a vote!"

Zeus slowly lowered his bolt, but his expression filled Percy with foreboding. He looked at Thalia as if she was a foolish child who did not understand what she was doing. He looked at her as if he found her amusing.

The smirk still present on his lips, he looked around the council mockingly. "What do you say? Shall we put it to a vote?" he asked sarcastically. He didn't wait for a response. "All in favour, raise your hands."

The last sparks of hope extinguished as hand after hand was raised. Percy caught a glimpse of Thalia's stricken face as he raised his heads to count the vote.

Zeus. Hera. Ares. Aphrodite. They didn't come as a surprise, although Aphrodite was mildly shocking; she was condemning her daughter, Piper, her strongest so far, to death.

Dionysus. Demeter. The camp director hated all demigods, but Percy couldn't think of a single reason why the goddess of agriculture would hate them. But, he supposed, maybe they didn't need a reason. Maybe this was just an insignificant game to them.

Athena. To his right, he felt Annabeth straighten her spine and glare at her mother. She didn't seem surprised at all. Rather, she was looking at Athena with a look of utmost hate.

Apollo. He sent an almost apologetic glance to the demigods. _He's just using us to escape his own punishment,_ Percy thought bitterly. After all, it was his legacy, Octavian, who had spurred the Greek-Roman hatred and caused the split personalities of the gods.

Artemis. Thalia gasped almost inaudibly and stumbled back, further away from the gods. Percy caught her as she almost tripped, not missing the hate-filled glare Artemis shot him. Prejudiced _bitch_.

 _Poseidon._

Despite everything, Percy couldn't help but feel betrayed. Even though he'd known, deep down, that Poseidon hadn't truly cared for him as a father should, some part of him had still yearned for a father. Had truly thought that Poseidon had, in his way, loved him and his mother.

"Why?" It just slipped out. Percy hadn't meant to say it, and instantly regretted it the moment it came out of his mouth. It made him look weak, and that was the last thing he wanted, at his own trial. But another part of him itched to know _why_. Why Poseidon had pretended to care, pretended to love him, and now ... this.

All was eerily silent as his words echoed off the walls, sounding lonelier with every echo. Then Poseidon let out a bellowing, mocking laugh. He stepped off his throne, shrinking with every menacing step he took towards his son.

" _Why?_ " he mocked, stopping when he was less than two feet away from Percy, rooted to the ground. He smiled a sinister smile.

"You are _nothing_ , demigod. Do you want to know the truth?" He didn't wait for a response. "Whatever love story your mother made up is a _lie_. I saw her on that beach, and I raped her, knowing full well she would bear a child. _I_ was the one who steered her towards Gabe, knowing she would see it as an opportunity to protect you. You, Perseus Jackson, are _nothing_ but a pawn. You're nothing but a way for me to control the prophecy. You're _nothing_ but what I made you," he finished with a sneer.

It felt almost like physical blows raining down on Percy, but he stood there, looking emotionless, as Poseidon's tirade came to an end. The maelstrom of emotion swirled inside him like a hurricane, threatening to drown him. There was sadness, but most predominantly, it was anger. How dare he do that to the most wonderful woman on the planet, his mother? She didn't deserve that. She didn't deserve to be his pawn. She didn't deserve the life this callous sea god had forced upon her with one act.

He didn't realise it, but he had subconsciously taken a step forward, his fists clenched, fully intending to make his _father_ pay. His vision was tinted red, zeroing in on the smug sea god. But there was something holding him back.

Stormy grey eyes, filled with compassion, looked back into his fearlessly. "Not now," she whispered, so low that only he could hear her, despite the resounding silence in the throne room following Poseidon's proclamation. "We _will_ make them pay. Just not now. I promise you that."

She squeezed his arm comfortingly, and he took a deep breath, his anger subsiding but still simmering below the surface. _I_ will _make you pay,_ he thought, glaring daggers at Poseidon, who still wore the smug expression that made Percy want to stick a dagger in him.

"And you know what?" the bastard continued. "You're useless to me now, brat. I, Poseidon, disown Perseus Jackson, and cut all ties with him," he announced.

It started gradually. Then it consumed him. It was all he could do to stay standing, to keep breathing despite the acid eating him up from the inside. Annabeth tightened her grip. Her eyes told him that she would never let go.

Dimly, he heard Zeus say, "I think that's the best idea, you've had in a while, brother. We should all disown our traitorous children!"

In the midst of the battle raging on inside him, he felt, more than saw, his friends fall to the floor, writhing in agony, as one by one, their parents disowned them. Jason, who looked at his father in betrayal. Piper, who stared at Aphrodite defiantly until the last word was uttered. Frank, whose pain-filled roar shook the earth. And finally Annabeth, whose grip never failed even as she was lost in her own personal hell. Only Hazel, Leo and Nico were spared; Hazel and Nico because Hades hadn't been invited, and Leo because his father had abstained from voting, as had Hermes. They looked helpless, standing there, unable to relieve their friends of the pain. He spotted Thalia, too, who had not been spared, not very far away from him, using Aegis to hold herself up and screaming unintelligible words at Zeus even through her agony, and felt another wave of disgust at the gods. Artemis did not do anything to help her lieutenant, simply sat there, gazing at the scene as though she did not care at all.

* * *

Percy would not be able to tell anyone how long he had stood there, wrestling with the pain eating him up, trying not to lose consciousness as the spectators looked on, some cheering, others remaining silent. He caught a glimpse of a stricken Reyna, white faced but unable to help; demigods in both orange and purple shirts turning gazes of hate on the Olympians; Grover being held by a sobbing Juniper as he screamed in the distance. The Olympians watched in disinterest, some looking on in amusement, as if they were a TV show.

But slowly, the pain started to subside.

And then Poseidon dropped to the ground.

He held his head in his hands as if it was splitting. Droplets of water formed unconsciously around him and the earth shook. Most of the Olympians didn't even look concerned, instead ignoring him as they had the demigods.

Percy watched on impassively, ignoring the random bouts of pain that seized him in favour of watching the suffering of his former father, who was growing increasingly haggard in appearance, like he had during the battle against Oceanus.

"What ... have ... you ... done?" Poseidon panted, slumped against the foot of his throne. Percy slowly raised his eyes to find a shaking, wrinkled finger pointed straight at him. "You ..."

"Me what? I haven't done anything. It's what _you_ did," Percy sneered back. Half of him was afraid that Zeus would blast him right then and there, Tartarus be damned, but he was just looking on with a smirk curling around his lips. He enjoyed seeing his brother like this, weak and defeated. After all, threat did not only come from the demigods.

Poseidon gripped his trident tighter. He looked ready to blast Percy with it, but his hands shook and the weapon looked to be too heavy for him. "You ... took my power," he breathed.

Percy's only response was to blink. Truthfully, he felt no different now, except for the knowledge that he was no longer linked to those damn gods. He would no longer have to do their bidding. He felt ... free.


	5. Pain

~JASON~

Shortly after Jason collapsed to the ground in agony, everything went to Hades. Or would it be to Tartarus, now? Since they _were_ falling down a seemingly never-ending hole leading to the pit itself - hold up. His ADHD had gotten away with him again. Damn ADHD.

Anyway. So what had he been saying? Ah yes. Everything went to Hades. But that wasn't quite right. Everything had already gone to Hades the moment they stepped foot in the throne room. Or was it the moment Jason and Percy got swapped by Hera and lost their memories? Oh, wait. Everything went to Hades the moment Jason was born a Roman with a Greek sister.

ADHD really was the worst enemy of a demigod, except in battle situations. Then it was your best friend.

Jason's body felt like it was burning up, and not in a nice way. (Was there _ever_ a nice way to burn up? Actually, scratch that. Leo burnt up on a daily basis.) It felt like something - or some _one_ \- was slowly leeching away his life force, draining his energy and leaving him a husk of his former self. And oh, it _hurt_. Hurt even more than when he'd received his SPQR brand at Camp Jupiter. Even more than when he'd been stabbed with an Imperial Gold sword and had the life-force slowly sucked out of him. This felt like that - only magnified ten times. He couldn't move anything except his eyes.

Through blurry vision obscured by tears (of pain), Jason observed the scene around him as if it was happening in slow motion. Percy and Annabeth, slightly in front of them, ever the leaders, clinging on to each other for dear life. Percy's arm was thrown around Annabeth's waist, holding her upright even though Jason could tell that her legs had given out on her from the agony. Miraculously, Percy was still standing, his back to Jason, who could still feel his glare of hatred aimed at the Olympians and the spectators. Leo had rushed over to Piper by this point, cradling her body as it lay curled up in a fetal position to the left of Jason's prone form, emitting soft cries. Even now, she was so strong, even though she probably wanted to scream and thrash, like he did. Leo's face was bleak, the knowledge that he was powerless to help the person he cared for the most when she needed him filling him with despair. He could only stroke her hair away from her sweaty face and whisper reassurances. Jason's body filled with another familiar emotion at the sight - jealousy. Not too long ago, it would have been him in Leo's position, holding Piper. But he pushed it away, knowing that he didn't have the right to be jealous. Besides, much use he'd have been to Piper, in the same state she was in.

Shortly after the Giant War ended, he and Piper had broken up. He couldn't say it was a mutual breakup, but they'd left on good terms and they were still friends. It had hurt him, but he was happy that she was happy.

 _Flashback:_

 _Jason was in Cabin One, as usual, working on the layout of Temple Hill at Camp Jupiter. Having been appointed Pontifex Maximus, it was his job to make sure that all the gods were represented and respected. It hadn't sounded too difficult when he'd first taken the job, but boy was he wrong. There were rivalries and relationships to consider; the whims of the gods; and so much more. He'd been getting frequent visits from gods that he'd struggled to remember the names of demanding this and that and had been keeping his temper on a tight leash lest he end up as a pile of Jason-shaped ash. He really didn't want that. They'd just come back from the war and things were settling down pretty nicely. He had an awesome girlfriend, Piper McLean, and hopefully his whole life to look forward to. Admittedly, their relationship hadn't had the best start (mist memories fabricated by his stepmother, a.k.a Juno, goddess of marriage, had the tendency to do that) but he'd slowly found himself growing to like her. Maybe even love her, in time._

 _There was a timid knock on the door. "Jason?" a melodic voice, like bells chiming, called out._

 _Jason's heart skipped a beat._ _He'd know that voice anywhere: Piper McLean, the aforementioned amazing girlfriend. He almost tripped over himself in his haste to open the door._

 _Piper eyed his rumpled state in amusement, but the normally bright expression on her face was absent. Instead, she looked worried and nervous, biting her lip and worrying at the feathers in her hair. She was drop-dead gorgeous - Jason would even go so far as to say she was the most beautiful girl in camp, even with all the demigoddesses and her siblings around - and every time he saw her he momentarily forgot to breathe._

 _"Piper? Is there something wrong?" He asked worriedly, taking note of her shifty demeanor and the way she was pressing her lips together._

 _"I ..." She avoided his gaze, looking at the ground and fidgeting. He frowned. Something must be seriously wrong. Though Piper, like most demigods, had ADHD, she rarely ever fidgeted. She normally preoccupied herself with rebraiding her hair and weaving more feathers through it._

 _"Piper? You know you can tell me anything, right?" His worry only grew when, as he went to place his hands on her arms to comfort her, she stepped out of reach, leaving his hands hovering awkwardly in the space between them._

 _"Can we talk?" she asked in a rush, the words coming out so fast Jason barely understood them._

 _"Uh, yeah. Of course."_

 _They walked in silence to a relatively secluded part of the camp, behind a sand dune on the edge of the beach. Piper seemed to have lost her nerve; she was still chewing on her lips and her eyes were darting everywhere but at him._

 _"What's wrong, Pipes?"_

 _She flinched minutely, but he still saw it. He'd been observing her a lot lately (no, he was_ not _a stalker), memorising her various mannerisms, deciphering her expressions. His concern grew. Piper rarely, if ever, acted like this. She would always put on a confident façade for everyone, even when she was in turmoil inside._

 _"I ..." She took a deep breath._

 _"Jason, I think we should break up."_

 _Jason felt like a wind spirit had just sucked out all his air. He couldn't breathe as he stared at her, waiting for a punchline that never came. She couldn't be serious, could she?_

 _"Break ... up? But why?"_

 _She exhaled, suddenly looking tired, and ran a hand through her hair. "It's not - I -" She looked frustrated, at a loss for words._

 _"Recently, I've been getting ... flashbacks. Memories."_

 _Jason frowned, unsure how this was related to the matter at hand. However, he resolved to hear her out. They both deserved that much. "About what?"_

 _Piper looked relieved that he hadn't just gotten up and stormed off. "About ... the Wilderness School. When I was there, with Leo." The unspoken words,_ without you _, didn't go unnoticed by Jason. He felt a pang of hurt, but brushed it away. He couldn't be mad about that. He should be happy for her, that she was getting her memories back after having them altered by Hera._

 _He waited for her to continue, sensing that he shouldn't push her. She took another deep breath._

 _"I'm sorry, Jason, but before you came ... before our memories were changed by Hera ... Leo and I, we were ... we were together."_

 _Leo and Piper? It didn't quite compute, but at the same time it made perfect sense. Suddenly Jason's mind was replaying thousands of missed moments that should have made it obvious. Leo staring at Piper when he thought no one was noticing. Their affectionate nicknames for each other. The times when Jason had walked in on Piper just sitting in the engine room, keeping Leo company as he worked. In retrospect, he should have noticed long ago._

 _"I ... I love Leo," Piper continued, staring at her feet. "I can't help feeling like I cheated on him, with you. The whole quest, I just felt like there was something wrong. Something I was missing. And when he was gone ..." She swallowed hard. Tears formed in her eyes, and Jason resisted the urge to brush them away from her cheeks._

 _"I just ... I felt something in me break. I think that's what triggered the memories." She lifted her head, fresh tears glimmering on her face. Although it was probably an inappropriate thing to think, Jason nevertheless thought she had never looked more beautiful._

 _Leo had sacrificed himself to defeat Gaea. Everyone had thought him dead - you couldn't survive such a huge explosion - but two weeks later, he'd returned on his bronze dragon Festus. Just flew into the middle of camp, beaming his typical Leo smile. Piper had been the first one to run up to him, tears streaming down her cheeks, and slapped him. Hard. Then proceeded to scream at him in front of the whole camp for five whole minutes. Then hugged him and cried into his shirt. Maybe that's when Jason should have noticed. He banished the thought._

 _"I'm sorry, Jason," Piper said quietly. "I understand if you hate me after this. I ... it's not fair, what Hera did to either of us." She looked at him, for the first time since she had started talking. When he didn't respond, her face seemed to crumble, and her expression closed. "I really am sorry, Jason," she said gently. "I hope you can forgive me. But if you can't, then I'll understand."_

 _She brushed off her jeans and stood, starting to walk away. Jason stared after her, his mind struggling to catch up, slow with shock. But he still knew that if he let her walk away right now, he would lose her. And even if he couldn't be her boyfriend, he still valued Piper as a friend. They'd been through too much together to lose her like that._

 _He stood up in a fluid motion and sprinted after her. Her head was lowered in defeat and her shoulders shook. Guilt filled him for being the reason she was crying. Others might have thought he ought to hate her for what she had done, but he just couldn't bring himself to. In the end, it wasn't Piper's fault at all. If anything, the blame laid solely on Hera for falsifying their memories and taking away Piper's true memories. She didn't have to do that. She didn't have to hurt them like that, for surely she knew that it would never end well._

 _"Wait!" he called, slightly out of breath. Piper spun around, hope igniting in her expression._

 _"I do understand, Piper," he said gently. His hand rose as if to take hers, but at the last second he lowered it. "I might not like it, but I understand why you did it. I don't blame you. If anything, I'm the intruder here." He gave her a weak smile. "You and Leo are my best friends. You deserve to be happy. You were happy, before me. And know that I'll always be here for you."_

* * *

Jason found that he could finally move his limbs again, and slowly got up from his position, curled on the floor, his pride slightly smarting at the thought of so many people seeing him so vulnerable. The first thing he noticed was that Percy and Poseidon seemed to be in some sort of stare-off. Percy was using his super-ultimate-deluxe wolf stare, which was intimidating even to _Jason_ , and which even _Thalia_ , goth girl supreme who wasn't afraid of anything, had admitted scared her a little. ("But don't you _ever_ tell anyone I said that or I will skin you alive and hang you in my tent," she had threatened. Jason had hastily promised.) He appeared to be winning the mental battle. In contrast, Poseidon's stare looked like a one-year-old having a tantrum.

Zeus wasn't doing anything. He was looking on in amusement, probably enjoying the sight of his brother, his greatest rival and sometimes-enemy, reduced to a withered old man. Everyone else just looked bored out of their minds, except for the demigods, who looked outraged but were powerless to do anything. They could only look on as their heroes were condemned to a fate worse than death.

Athena coughed none too subtly, jolting Zeus out of his triumphant trance. He bolted upright in his throne, clearing his throat hastily. The spectators, who had been chattering idly and drifting towards the doorways, instantly snapped to attention, worried that they would be vaporised by the Master Bolt.

"Right! So, anyway, now that that's done with, I sentence the traitors to Tartarus!" he thundered, drawing himself up to his full height and launching said Master Bolt at the floor. Immediately, a loud _boom_ was heard, before cracks spiderwebbed across it. The earth rumbled and it was all Jason could do to stay upright as sections of the floor fell through the ground, opening up a massive hole presumably leading straight to Tartarus. He could already feel the dark energy pulling him in, as much as he tried to resist. It felt like a set of jaws that would swallow him whole, and he instantly felt apprehensive.

But as terrified as he, and the rest of his companions, felt, Percy and Annabeth would have it ten times worse. After all, they had actually been down there. Seen horrors no one should ever have to see. And now they would have to go back down there, to face their worst nightmares all over again.

Annabeth's face had turned pale white, almost as white as Nico. _Nico_. Nico had been down there, too. All alone. Granted, it wasn't for long, but it had still left his mark on him. He was standing in the shadows, as usual, staring down at the hole. His expression showed fear and terror, and he was slowly backing away. Jason could read the words from his lips. _No. No. Not again ..._

Percy cleared his throat, gaining their attention. Eight pairs of eyes snapped to him. His sea green eyes were blazing with hate and rage, the expression on his face fierce. He looked every inch the hero who had defeated Kronos in that moment.

"We go down there, we go together," he declared, meeting each of their eyes. "We are never stronger than when we are together. We can do this. We will beat the odds, and _we will show them_ that we will not be crushed this easily."

He turned back to the yawning abyss, a determined expression settling over his face.

"We will show them that we are not insignificant," he said, his voice not rising in volume, but instead getting softer, more malevolent. "We are not ants to be crushed under their feet. We will go down there, but we will do it on our own terms. Who's with me?"

Jason almost wondered if he had charmspeak. His voice, his words were so powerful, and in that moment he understood how this normally laid-back demigod had achieved all that he had.

"I am," their voices flowed back as one. Percy grinned savagely.

At his signal, they all linked hands.

Then they jumped into Tartarus, Percy giving the assorted crowd the bird as he did so. Jason laughed internally. Trust Percy Jackson to do something like that even in the face of certain death.


	6. Bleakness

~ANNABETH~

Tears streaked, unbidden, down the blonde girl's cheeks as she buried her face in her boyfriend's chest, his strong arms wrapping tightly around her as if he would never let her go, giving her a feeling of comfort and safety even though they were in the most dangerous place they could possibly be. She sobbed into Percy's chest, letting all of her fear and worries out, grateful that the chasm was so dark and the wind howling in their ears made it hard to hear anything, but Percy, feeling his shirt dampening with her tears, stroked her hair soothingly and rhythmically, leaning down to her ear to say something; what, she couldn't tell, because she couldn't even hear her own thoughts.

Why did the Fates have to be so cruel to them? She and Percy had saved Olympus twice. They'd gone through so much turmoil and suffering and still, the Fates were like, _nah, it's not enough._ When would they ever get a break? Annabeth had thought that after two Great Prophecies and subsequent wars in their lifetime, they would finally get to distance themselves from the dangerous quests and live a peaceful life, finishing college, getting jobs, starting families. During her first (and she'd hoped last, but _apparently not_ ) time in Tartarus, the only way she'd gotten through it mostly sane was because of Percy, and their dreams of a future together. Her something permanent at last. But now ... all of that would never come to fruition. All the sacrifices they'd made, all the pain they'd endured, now empty and meaningless in the face of this ultimate betrayal from the ones they'd placed on such a high pedestal, the ones they'd longed for love from despite everything. Annabeth closed her eyes, rage boiling inside her, even though it made no difference, seeing as even with her eyes open she couldn't see anything, pitch-black as it was.

Being a demigod had robbed all optimism from Annabeth. You would never be able to stay sane and alive if you were optimistic; you had to expect the worst at every turn and twist in order to make it through mostly intact. So she knew, without a doubt, that this was most definitely the end of the road for all of them. She wanted to rail and scream at the Fates; she and Percy, the oldest, were only _seventeen_ , still children by mortal standards, and Hazel, the youngest, was only _thirteen_. Still very much a child, still innocent; _none of them deserved this_. But that was the harsh, awful truth, wasn't it? They were demigods; none of them deserved this horrific life of pain and suffering they had been dealt, but their fates had been sealed with accidents of birth. The last time Annabeth and Percy had been down here, they had survived through sheer determination and luck, and had the fortune of knowing there was an exit, but this time ... This time there would be no Bob, no Damasen to save them. This time there were no Doors of Death located at the end of the maze that they could escape out of. This time they were well and truly alone; well and truly screwed. They would die down here, and none of them would make it to Elysium.

Annabeth fisted her hands in Percy's shirt and resolved that even if she was destined to die, she would not go down without a fight.

* * *

The wait, she thought, was the thing that would ultimately kill her. The first time had been bad enough, but the second time was _worse_. Even though in the back of her mind, she knew that they would eventually reach the bottom of Tartarus (and land on top of _his body_ , gross, she still hadn't gotten over that little fact), it still didn't make the fall seem any shorter. If anything, she felt as if that knowledge made the eternal fall last longer, if that was even possible.

Suddenly, a thought struck her like lightning, and her spine stiffened. Percy felt it, and tightened his hold on her, his green eyes locking on her gray ones in concern. They were the only light she could see in the utter blackness surrounding them, and she gazed up into them, drowning in the endless eddies swirling in them. The last time they'd fallen, Percy had saved them by using the water of the River Cocytus to catch them. Otherwise, they'd have become demigod pancakes, little more than a stain on Tartarus's (stomach? Intestines? Oh gods, she really didn't want to know) due to the fact that they were currently travelling at terminal velocity with no way to slow themselves down. This time ... they might not be so lucky to be near a river, and even if they were, Percy's water powers had been taken away. Jason or Thalia ... but they had no powers now, either. But perhaps Nico could shadow-travel them, or Hazel could use the ground to cushion them ... She turned towards them, but belatedly realized that they would never be able to hear her. Still ... wouldn't it be better to die by crashing into the ground of Tartarus than killed by monsters or, worse, tortured by Tartarus or Nyx? It would be fast, relatively painless; a good end, all things considered. Tartarus was no place for demigods. In fact, it was designed to kill them, slowly and painfully. The air was poison, the sand was glass, the very ground they were walking on belonged to one of the most dangerous primordials ever to live. No, perhaps the best thing for them would be a quick, painless death.

* * *

They were _still falling_.

Annabeth wanted to scream at the ceaseless feeling of her stomach plummeting, her heart leaping into her throat. It felt a little like she was on an endless rollercoaster which only went down; she laughed hysterically at that comparison, and Percy pulled away from her a little to, presumably, look at her in concern. She didn't really know; she couldn't see his face, but she could picture that little frown he would give her when he was worried about her. She closed her eyes and pressed her face into his chest, shutting out the incessant roar of the wind around her, concentrating solely on the image of his face in her mind. She thought wistfully about the plans she'd painstakingly made for their future.

They would go to college at New Rome; no matter that Annabeth was a daughter of Athena and could pretty much go to any university she wanted to, there was still the fact that she hadn't gone to proper school in ten years, hadn't taken any public exams, so wouldn't be eligible. Besides, she was tired of fighting monsters left and right; all she wanted was to settle down with Percy in a relatively normal life, and New Rome was their best bet. There, she wouldn't have to constantly look over her shoulder and lie to her friends; she wouldn't have to worry about getting waylaid by a rogue cyclops on her way to class. It helped that at New Rome, she could be with Percy too; she loved her boyfriend, but she had no illusions that he would be able to attend a prestigious university like Harvard with her. And after Tartarus ... well, she had absolutely no desire to be separated from Percy ever again.

Though demigods often died young, most never making it past their thirties or forties, especially children of the major Olympian gods, and most who lived chose to marry at a young age as a result, Annabeth had wanted to wait until they finished college and had steady jobs to get married. She knew Percy had wanted that too, if not because of himself (he rarely planned anything out, she was the strategist not only in battle but also in their relationship), then for his mother, who had fallen pregnant with him at eighteen and, though she loved Annabeth like a daughter, didn't want the same fate for the two of them. He'd probably propose in the most dorky but adorable and romantic way possible, typical of Percy. She'd tease him a bit, as was expected of them, but of course, ultimately she'd say yes. There was never any doubt of that.

Maybe a few years down the line, they'd have kids. Adorable tiny children, with Percy's black hair and Annabeth's grey eyes, or maybe Annabeth's blonde curls and Percy's beautiful green eyes. Yes, she decided. She'd like it if their children inherited Percy's green eyes. She had always thought her grey eyes were too cold, too intimidating, too plain; she preferred Percy's eddying, ever-changing green ones. There was never any doubt in her mind that Percy would make a wonderful father; sometimes she would sit on the bleachers and watch him as he taught the younger campers how to swordfight ( _no_ , she was not stalking him). He was incredible; even though he had ADHD, he seemed to somehow dredge up endless amounts of patience when working with the little ones, leaving Annabeth amazed; she was sure that she'd have given up and stormed off within the first half hour. But he persisted, and the young campers absolutely adored and idolized him. Often, when he was kneeling next to a young Athena kid, patiently showing them how to hold a sword, she would imagine that it was their child he was smiling at, their child who threw their arms around him when they finally got it right. She wanted it so fiercely her heart ached. But now ... it would never happen. Reality hit as she opened her eyes, slamming into her with the force of Hannibal the elephant. Maybe at first, she'd been too shocked, too filled with rage and fear to really process it, but now it hit her.

She would never go to college with Percy. Never be able to walk down the aisle in a white dress towards him, knowing in her heart that this was all she'd ever wanted. Never get to hold her perfect child, no first words, first steps, first days of school. Never be able to wake up to Percy's face every day. Never be able to grow old with him, and enter Elysium with him when it was time. Her - _their_ \- future had been robbed from them from cruel, callous, heartless gods who'd used them up and then thrown them away like so much trash, and the only future any of them were facing was a limited number of days in the deepest, darkest pits of hell.


	7. Reminiscence

~PIPER~

How long had it been since they'd started falling?

Piper had lost count.

She'd heard from someone - Annabeth, probably - that the fall to Tartarus took nine days. She hoped that wasn't true; the utter absence of light was unnerving enough, more so when you factored in the eerie howling of the wind in her ears, jumbling up her thoughts into a confused ball. She'd tried talking to Leo to pass the time, but the wind ripped her words away, and he couldn't even see her mouth moving. He'd tried a few times to make a small flame to give them light, which had either almost immediately been extinguished, or grown so far out of control that it had singed a few strands of Piper's hair off. She could still taste the burnt smell lingering in her mouth, and feel Leo's and Hazel's hands clenched tightly around each of hers. They were growing numb, the tingly feeling that warned of imminent pins and needles prickling at her fingertips, but she welcomed the sensation; it let her know that she wasn't alone. Short bursts of pain still wracked her body from time to time, side effects from the disownment. In a way, she was glad for it; she had never wanted to be a demigod, much less a daughter of Aphrodite. The goddess was manipulative and cruel, her half-siblings for the most part snobbish and arrogant, with a few notable exceptions.

She squeezed her eyes tight, wishing with all her heart that all of this was just a terrible, terrible nightmare and she would wake up in her bed at the Wilderness School in the morning and laugh with Leo about it.

* * *

 _Flashback: Wilderness School_

 _"Hey, Beauty Queen!"_

 _Piper whirled around, fighting the smile that immediately came to her lips at the sound of the familiar voice, instead schooling her face into a displeased frown. "Valdez! I_ told _you not to call me that!"_

 _"Not my fault you're irresistibly beautiful," the elvish teen smirked, sliding a hand around her waist. She blushed, despite her best efforts, and leaned into him, internally marvelling at how he was now_ hers _, how she'd been so lucky to find a best friend and later, boyfriend, like Leo in the hell that was the Wilderness School to weather the storm with her. Sure, he wasn't what most people would call hot, or cute, or even want to hang out with, but he was her best friend and he was Leo and Piper loved him all the same. She didn't even remember when it started; she just knew that she couldn't imagine being here without Leo. He was one of the only good things in her life right now; her dad was still ignoring her and Jane was still being a bitch. He was the one who had taught her what love felt like, not the pale imitation that she was used to receiving from her distant father._

 _"Shouldn't you be in class right now?" she teased as they made their way to the library. Since it was her free period, Piper was hoping to catch a few hours of sleep; she'd tossed and turned all night, unable to fall asleep, the vestiges of a dream lingering in her mind, though try as she might she couldn't decipher the fragments in her mind. A man with goat hooves. A blond boy holding her hand, his face scrunched up into a mask of confusion. She shook it off, turning to smirk at Leo._

 _He grinned right back, smiling that troublemaker smile she loved so much. "Nope!" he said brightly, then leaned in to whisper conspiratorially, "There was an ... ah ..._ accident _with the projector." He leaned away, winking at her, and Piper stifled a laugh. Trust Leo to wreak havoc, again. It happened at least twice a month, though the teachers could never properly pin the blame on Leo. He was just too good. Nevertheless, they always found random excuses to give him detention here and there. Piper thought it was hilarious. She'd been Leo's partner in crime more than once, after all. It was strangely satisfying when a prank they pulled went right and nobody could find out who did it, though they all suspected, of course._

 _She shook her head at him playfully as they found a secluded table in the corner of the library to sit down at. Piper unslung her backpack and slumped into her chair, letting out a small sound of surprise when Leo plopped down next to her and immediately turned her face towards him to kiss her. She smiled into his lips, returning the kiss with equal fervor, and decided that sleep was overrated, anyway._

And then a boy named Jason showed up on the way to the Grand Canyon and her life fell apart.

* * *

It felt like they'd been falling for eternity when the pitch-black of their surroundings lightened somewhat, allowing Piper to catch a glimpse of Leo's face for what seemed like the first time in a few millennia. Honestly, she thought that the fall was a torture device; probably designed specifically for ADHD demigods. She looked down, surmising that the light must have been coming from _somewhere_ , and the light-headedness returned with a vengeance as she stared at the tiny pinprick of light at the bottom of the seemingly endless abyss, steadily growing larger.

She gripped Leo's hand tighter, her heart racing in her ribcage, adrenaline pumping through her body. Without a doubt, she knew that, as taxing as the seemingly endless fall had been on her patience, Tartarus would be much, much worse.

In the dim light, she could now faintly glimpse her friends' faces: Annabeth, being held in a vice like grip by Percy, both their faces pale white, shining like stars in the all-encompassing darkness. Frank and Hazel, both looking terrified, hands entwined tightly. Hazel's eyes were squeezed shut and her lips were moving, in prayer, maybe? But it was futile, because it was, after all, the very beings they'd once prayed to who'd cast them down into this pit in the first place. Nico's face was wreathed in shadow, but Piper could still see his pupils blown wide, the sick look on his face as he stared down to the bottom of the abyss. Her heart gave a pang in sympathy.

She looked across and met the electric-blue eyes of Jason Grace, her heart twisting as it almost always did when she saw him nowadays. He offered her a trembling smile, which she returned and quickly looked away. Guilt clambered up her throat and she bit her lip, reminding herself once again that neither of them had been in the wrong. It wasn't Jason's fault that he'd been tossed haphazardly into her life and her memories, collapsing her fledgling relationship with Leo and throwing her headfirst into the world of demigods and monsters. It _definitely_ wasn't his fault that he'd been forced into being her boyfriend by Hera's patchwork of memories, and it wasn't his fault that for nearly a year, Leo had had to watch as she and Jason kissed and held hands, knowing that she was meant to be with him but powerless to do anything about it.

When she'd finally gotten her real memories back, she'd immediately gone to Leo. She had to know if his memories had been replaced too, or if he'd had to watch as his girlfriend cheated on him with another guy, knowing that she didn't even remember doing the same thing with him, unable to do anything but watch.

 _Flashback:_

 _Piper woke with a gasp, Leo's name still on her lips. She looked around wildly, noting the pink walls and the huddled forms of her siblings sleeping on their bunk beds, and sat up, putting her head in her hands, forcing her erratic heartbeat to return to normal. The taste of Leo, grease and hot sauce and something just distinctly_ Leo _, lingered in her mouth, a flash of his lips on hers, a moan being emitted from her lips, flitting across her mind. She wrapped her hands around her knees, knowing that she wouldn't be able to sleep, yet wishing that she could go back to the dream. No, not a dream - a_ memory _. Piper knew that now; all the flashes she'd been getting of her and Leo, holding hands in the park, sneaking kisses in the library, whispering to each other in the darkness, were memories of their time at the Wilderness School, before all of this demigodly madness, before Jason._

Jason _. She felt immediately guilty, forcing herself to recall the last six months of near perfection with Jason, going on dates in New York, sitting in his cabin, watching him work on the new temples for the minor gods. But - it hadn't been perfect, had it? All this time, she'd felt like something had been missing. Something fundamentally wrong, even when she pasted a smile on her face, even when Jason kissed her like she was the only girl in the world when all she really wanted to do was push him away. She hadn't understood what was wrong with her, had thought to wait it out, that maybe it was just shock from her life being uprooted so quickly, but now she knew. Because beneath those Mist-fabricated memories that Hera had forced into her head, there was another set of memories waiting to be unearthed. Memories that whispered,_ Leo, Leo, Leo, _even as the Mist warped it into,_ Jason, Jason, Jason.

 _How could she have done this? Even if her memories had been changed by Hera, she should still have known - should have known that her relationship with Jason was a lie, that it would never work. Should have realized what Leo was to her long ago. She imagined the pain he was in, having her so near all the time but still unreachable, and had to stifle a sob._

 _Without really knowing what she was doing, she flung on a T-shirt and jeans, closing the cabin door quietly behind her. She meandered her way through the woods, not even really knowing where she was going, until she reached a familiar clearing, and realized that her legs had intuitively brought her to the one place where she would be safe, where she always, always felt safe: where Leo was. His secret hideout in Camp: Bunker Nine. Her steps faltered and she almost turned around right then and there, but, as if unbidden, her fists were already raised to knock._

 _She was about to flee, but then the door opened, revealing Leo, covered in grease and machine oil as usual, blinking surprised eyes up at her._

 _"Piper?"_

 _She smiled feebly. "Hey, Leo," she said awkwardly. She shuffled her feet, not daring to look up at him, afraid that he would ask what she was doing there. Truthfully, she didn't even know the answer to that question. She couldn't exactly say that she'd been having memories of them; what if he didn't remember, either? But she was pretty sure that he_ did _remember; the gods delighted in torturing them, and Hera would never have passed up the opportunity to torture Leo in such a spectacular way._

 _To her relief, he didn't say anything more; maybe he sensed that she didn't want to talk, with that unique Leo-sense he had. In retrospect, she should've noticed long ago; he probably knew her better than she knew herself. He just opened the door and gestured for her to come in, which she did gratefully._

 _She watched him work for some time, her mind set at ease by the fluid motions he made as he reached for a tool or tightened a screw. As if he felt her eyes on him, he glanced back at her and smiled, and Piper's heart gave a pang. His eyes were full of affection and love, and how had she not seen it before? She was a daughter of Aphrodite, the goddess of love. How had she skipped over the tinge of sorrow, of what-could-have-beens lingering in his eyes every time he looked at her?_

 _Impulsively, she spoke. She had to know; had to know if there was at least a small chance of saving them._

 _"Leo?"_

 _"Yeah, Pipes?" He was leaning against the half-finished contraption he'd been building, all of his attention focused on her._

 _"I ... I think I've been getting my memories back."_

 _A flare of interest in his eyes; he took a step closer to her, silently prompting her to keep going. Was that hope she saw in his eyes?_

 _"After you ... disappeared ..." She swallowed back the lump in her throat. "I've been getting these ... dreams. And I only recently realized they were memories, and ... well ..." She looked up, only to see his warm brown eyes less than an inch away from hers, and warmth pooled in her stomach. She licked her suddenly dry lips, the words evaporating into thin air._

 _"Piper," he murmured, his voice low. She placed a hand on his chest, determined to say what she'd come here to say, even if she hadn't known precisely what it was._

 _"I'm sorry," she whispered, and a fountain of tears spilled down her cheeks. He reached up and tenderly brushed them away from her face, and her breath hitched. "I'm sorry, Leo, I'm so sorry, I didn't know, but I should have - and I know you'll never forgive me, but I - I love you, and -"_

 _She was abruptly cut off by his lips sliding over hers, effectively silencing the flow of words. A sigh escaped her as she reached up to pull him closer, her arms clasping around his neck. It felt so right, like they'd done this a million times before - and they_ had _, Piper reminded herself - and she knew she could get lost in this feeling, but there was a niggling feeling in the back of her mind ..._

 _She let out a gasp as she pulled away from Leo. His eyes were blazing, his hair more unkempt than usual due to her running her hands through it, and he looked so breathtaking that she wanted nothing more than to delve back into the heavenly feeling of his lips on hers, but there was something she needed to take care of first._

 _"I'm going to break up with Jason," she said, and she saw Leo's eyes go wide in surprise, then shutter in guilt. He backed away from her, far enough that she couldn't reach for him. She longed for him to come back, but she knew that as long as there was this unfinished business between them, this was for the best._

 _Leo was pacing, running his hands through his hair, muttering to himself, a steady stream of words that she couldn't decipher. "Piper, I'm so sorry, I just - I lost control. You don't have to break up with Jason, it's fine -"_

 _"No, it's not!" she cried. "Leo, I never felt that what I had with Jason was right. I always felt like it was a lie, that something was missing, and now I finally know what it is - and besides, I can't do that to Jason. I can't keep pretending and lying to him and making him think that there's something there, but there's not. He deserves better. I deserve better! And," she gulped, forcing the words out. "I've been cheating on you with him. You deserve better than me - you should hate me -"_

 _"Piper, stop it," Leo commanded, and now his eyes were ablaze with anger. "It wasn't your fault. Sure, it hurt like a bitch whenever I saw the two of you together, and it was so damn hard to pretend that I was happy for you, but I never thought it was your fault! It was that - that bitch Hera's fault. She didn't have to manipulate your memories like that. Everything would have worked out fine even if it was you and I together - but she did, and there's no changing that, and damn it, Piper, it wasn't your fault! You didn't even know! You couldn't even remember!" he shouted, and there was a wealth of pain in those words. In them, Piper could see Leo, always on the sidelines, aching under the burden of his memories, his feelings, knowing that Piper would never again hold him like she was holding Jason, and her heart went out to him._

 _"Never again," she promised. "I remember now. I remember everything," and she wasn't sure which one of them moved towards the other first, but all she knew was that she was suddenly sobbing into his shirt while his arms went around her and droplets of his tears splashed onto her hair._

 _Against all odds, they had found their way back to each other again - and Piper vowed she would never let him go again._

* * *

Annabeth's lips were moving, her hands gesturing frantically, but for the life of her, Piper couldn't hear her. She tried to focus on the movement of her friend's lips, but she'd never been any good at lip-reading, and she was at a total loss as to what Annabeth wanted them to do. They were still falling, fast, but now she could see the large cavern, the air tinted blood-red, with tiny specks she suspected were monsters moving about on the ground far below, but approaching fast. Too fast. Piper's heart stuttered as she came to the realization that with nothing to slow them down, they'd crash straight into the ground of Tartarus, and it would all be over. They wouldn't even get a chance to fight; they'd immediately become demigod pancakes, little more than a bloodstain that would be trampled over by monsters. In some ways, Piper was relieved that this was how they'd meet their end. At least they wouldn't have to endure the horrors of Tartarus that had Annabeth and Percy screaming, awful, heart-wrenching sounds that ripped Piper's heart apart whenever they had nightmares.

Leo's grip on her hand became almost painful, even through her numbed hand, and she glanced up at him. _I love you_ , he mouthed at her, and her heart warmed even though she knew they were all about to die. She reciprocated the gesture, but wasn't sure if he got the message as his face scrunched up adorably in a mask of confusion and he mouthed back, _Chicken pox?_ at her. She stifled a laugh; trust Leo to still retain a sense of humour even in the direst of circumstances.

The ground was only a few feet below them now, and rushing up before her eyes. She squeezed them shut and turned away, consoling herself with the knowledge that it would only hurt for an instant. She could feel the hot, suffocating air blistering her skin, and every breath in already hurt her lungs, but she was content in the knowledge that it'd all be over soon.


	8. Anticipation

~PERCY~

He was ashamed to admit that instead of fear or terror - though those emotions were certainly there - the most abundant, overwhelming emotion coursing through his body was a mixture of glee and anticipation. Unbidden, the memory of choking Akhlys with her own poison rose to the forefront of his mind, but this time, instead of the disgust and self-loathing he usually forced himself to feel, there was excitement and triumph. Desperate, he tried to squash it down, instead focusing on the terrain below, growing larger before his eyes. They definitely hadn't landed in the same place as before; he could see five rivers winding their way through the land, meeting and mingling in a large pool which was both mesmerising and terrifying. A pool that they were now almost directly on top of; he could see the rippling surface, the colours of the five rivers of the underworld mixing together.

His face paled. Falling into _one_ Underworld River was bad enough - he still had flashbacks from the agonizing pain of the River Styx and the induced melancholy of the River Cocytus - but _all five of them_? It would mean certain death. Even a son of Poseidon - _former_ son of Poseidon - couldn't hope to escape the wrath of all five rivers. _So,_ he thought grimly. _This is really it._

He looked around at the faces of his friends. Instead of shock, or terror, as he had been expecting, all he saw on their faces was resignation as they gazed into the face of their death. He supposed perhaps this was for the best; after all, he wouldn't wish the horrors of Tartarus on anyone, much less his family. But dying in agony by the might of the five rivers ... no. Even if his powers were now severely weakened, even if it turned out he couldn't control the liquid - he would still try. He _had_ to.

Annabeth's eyes were blown wide and there was despair in her eyes. She, too, knew it was hopeless - knew that there was no way out. Not this time. Internally, he mourned the now unreachable future he'd imagined for the two of them, and saw the same grief in her eyes.

"I love you," he said, putting his mouth close to her ear so she would be able to hear him. She gave him a watery smile.

"I love you, too."

Then - mere metres from the surface of the deadly waters - he pushed her away with all his strength, sending the rest of the demigods with her in a flailing chain reaction, surrounding them in a bubble of air with the last of his weakening powers as they plunged into the depths of the swirling pool, the water closing over their heads. The last thing he saw was Annabeth's horrified grey eyes and her mouth wide open in a soundless scream.

* * *

Percy had imagined unrelenting, blistering agony as he slipped beneath the waves, but instead the liquid felt cool against his skin, invigorating him just like sea water had. He frowned in confusion, drifting peacefully through the depths, his body exhausted beyond belief. He couldn't even move a finger, much less propel himself back up to the surface to look for Annabeth and the others. He could only pray that they'd taken advantage of his air bubble and made it safely to the shores. It had taken so much out of him that it was all he could do to keep his eyes open; he couldn't even summon a shred of power to keep himself dry. Luckily, for whatever reason that he decided not to question right this minute, he didn't seem to need it, even with milky white water from the Lethe surging over him, but strangely not taking any memories with it.

He came to a stop at the bottom of the pool, the murky liquid blocking any view he'd hoped to glimpse of the far-off surface. It was covered in gritty glass-sand, the specialty of Tartarus, and there was no sign of life anywhere. Unsurprising, given that this pool was specially designed to purge any life. Nothing could survive the five rivers of the Underworld - except, it appeared, Percy.

 _Maybe I'll just ... take a nap ..._ he thought, his mind foggy with weariness, his eyes already closing. His senses were so dulled, his awareness already drifting away, that he didn't notice the five shadows drifting over his prone form, the sound of lilting voices raised in speech.

* * *

He slowly came to on a smooth surface that decidedly did _not_ feel like the glass-sand he'd passed out on, and tried to jerk up and reach for Riptide, only to find gentle hands on his shoulders pushing him back. He was still too weak to fight them off, so he obeyed, slowly easing his eyes open. They burned, and he had to push away bouts of dizziness as he propped himself up on his arms, only to find five pairs of eyes oddly similar to the colours of the five rivers staring back at him. He barely restrained himself from jumping and uncapping Riptide, unleashing a series of muffled curses.

The women - river nymphs, he could see that now - were suppressing smiles, looking at him with amusement. He was about to open his mouth to demand who they were when he stopped short; in retrospect, it should have been obvious. They were river nymphs, and he was in their rivers. These must be the nymphs of the rivers.

"My ladies," he said, bowing his head, figuring that it couldn't hurt to be respectful, even if it left a bit of a sour taste in his mouth. The sea didn't like to be restrained, after all. "It's a pleasure to meet you. What can I do for you?"

The lady with fiery red hair and undulating eyes to match - presumably Lady Phlegethon (he grimaced at the memory of that particular river, feeling the bitter bile climb up his throat, reminiscent of the awful taste the fire-water had going down) - smirked at him, her eyes changing to light orange, like that of a sunrise. "Well, it's more like what _we_ can do for you," she said, leaning forward, her eyes now narrowed in suspicion.

"Yes. Perseus Jackson," the woman with dark eyes and hair mused, her eyes fixed on him. He gulped. This, then, must be Lady Styx. He supposed she wasn't too happy with him, being the child of a broken oath and all, not to mention having dared to take a dip in her river. She mimicked the other nymph's position, regarding him with a cool demeanor. "How did you survive? And save all your friends, too. A remarkable feat," she said, though the words were said with an air of reluctance.

 _His friends_. So they were safe. Well, not exactly safe ... but at least they had survived the first trial Tartarus had thrown their way. He felt a wave of relief crash over him, though he did his best not to let it show on his face. He had learned the hard way never to trust gods and goddesses.

"I don't know how I survived," he said, avoiding her second question. "Truthfully, I didn't think I would."

"Well, whatever the case, you did survive," another voice chimed in. He turned to look at the speaker and shock momentarily rendered him immobile. She looked ... like a ghost, to put it nicely. Everything about her was pale and white-washed, her eyes a milky colour, her hair snow-white. She had a vacant expression on her face and was swaying side to side, creating an impression of floating. Lady Lethe. "It is no small feat. Even for a son of Poseidon."

His body was suddenly boiling with red-hot rage. "I am no son of that _bastard_ ," he spat, drawing surprised looks from all five. Styx's eyes narrowed again, and suddenly her dark eyes were less than an inch away from his, causing him to stiffen in surprise. Her face suddenly went slack, like she'd glimpsed something in his eyes that surprised her, and she sat back again, her expression thoughtful and calculating.

"Be that as it may," a mournful voice said, "you have survived all five of our rivers. That is no small feat to accomplish, and would be impossible, except for ..." She trailed off, her hands flying to cover her mouth, as if she had said too much. Percy peered at her closely. _Except for ... what?_

The others shot her angry glances, clearly sending the message of _shut up or you'll regret it_ , piquing Percy's curiosity. He had enough sense not to ask, though; he was in their domain, and if he ever wanted to get out, he would do well to get on their good sides. Or at least, not get on their bad side. Gods knew he had somewhat of a talent for that.

"You have survived this first trial," said Styx, looking at him with an indecipherable expression. "You may not be so lucky next time. So we have decided to ... help you along." She said this with a little smile on her face, as if she knew something he didn't. She probably did; he had long since given up trying to decipher what gods did. He was subject to their whims, and he knew it. He didn't like it, but it was a simple fact, and if he didn't accept it, well, he'd have been ash a long time ago.

"We have decided to give you our blessing," Phlegethon told him. "Do not take it lightly, mortal. You are the first who has received our blessing. Do not make us regret it." She seemed about ready to shoot him up to the surface and be done with him, but before she could, Percy interrupted.

"Wait! What about my friends?"

The last woman, her expression contorted into an expression of eternal pain, nevertheless managed to give him a haughty look, bordering on disgust. "What about them?" she sneered.

Percy knew that he was wandering into a dangerous zone - after all, gods didn't make a habit of helping mortals without a substantial price to be paid - but he had to give his friends a chance, at least.

"They're stuck down here too. Can't you help them, too? Please," he said, not caring if he was all but begging. Looking around at their indifferent expressions, he felt his hope wither away. He should have known not to rely on bastard gods.

Acheron seemed about to speak, her expression morphing into a sneer, but before she could, Styx stopped her, her eyes suddenly gleaming with a hint of malice. "I will allow your ... _friends_ ... to take a dip in my river," she announced. Percy was ready to thank her profusely and escape as quickly as possible, but she held up a hand. "But," she continued. "Whether or not they survive it ... is up to them," she finished, and before he could thank her, she snapped her fingers and he was flung upwards, the colors of the different liquids swirling dizzyingly before his eyes, until black was all he could see.


	9. Mourning

~ANNABETH~

"LET ME GO!"

Annabeth thrashed and screamed, kicking wildly at whatever surface was unfortunate to be in reach, her feral howls indistinguishable from the distant roars and growls that plagued the surface of Tartarus. Her blonde hair was matted and dirty, her orange Camp Half-Blood shirt ripped into shreds hanging off her body, and there were numerous pinpricks of blood all over her body from her fight for release. Grimy tear tracks stained her cheeks, more tears washing the blood and dirt away as she attempted to head butt Frank the elephant, who had his trunk coiled around her in an attempt to prevent her from hurling herself into certain death.

"Annabeth." There was a voice, choked with tears, murmuring into her ears, hands holding her legs down, hair brushing against her face from someone leaning over her, but Annabeth wasn't aware of any of that. Dimly, she registered someone tipping bitter liquid into her mouth, and though she tried to turn away, they held her mouth closed and she was forced to swallow, gasping and choking on the aftertaste. Phlegethon water. All she knew was _PercyPercyPercy_ and oh gods, Percy was gone, he had sacrificed himself to save them, where was Percy? She wanted her Percy back ...

"Annabeth!"

 _Percy, where are you, don't leave me ..._

"Annabeth, listen to me, stay with me -"

 _You promised._

"We have to move her, we can't stay here, we're too exposed -"

 _No no no we have to stay, we have to find Percy!_

"Annabeth, Annabeth please, we'll come back later, we have to move ..."

 _No ..._

She fought, lashing out at the hands that bound her, intent on her goal. It was futile, though; they pinned her arms and legs down, someone's hand covering her mouth, muffling her screams even as she licked and bit, desperate to find her way back to Percy. The last she'd seen him, he'd disappeared under the swirling liquid without even a ripple to let her know he'd even been there, and no matter how she scratched and scrambled, the bubble wouldn't give, just silently towed them to the shore of broken glass, its state much like the one Annabeth's heart was currently in.

She could make out the quiet cacophony of voices above her as her struggles weakened, her limbs falling into lethargy even as her mind was screaming at her to move, dimly aware of being lifted up and of hands stroking her hair away from the face, wet droplets splashing down onto her face. She looked up into Thalia's electric-blue eyes, clouded with grief, and let out a low moan.

"Percy ..."

Thalia didn't meet her eyes, staring bleakly out into the expanse that stretched out as far as the eye could see, indistinguishable lumps dotting the terrain here and there.

"I'm sorry, Annie."

 _No ..._ She thought back to intense sea-green eyes, his grip steadfast even as her arm cried out in pain, fervent words whispered to her as they slipped down, down, down ... _As long as we're together._

 _What happened to that, Percy?_ she thought, her eyes sliding shut, the voices growing fainter until she couldn't hear them anymore.

* * *

Hushed voices filtered into her consciousness as her eyelids fluttered open slowly, individual words indistinguishable in the haze of unconsciousness. Tendrils of sleep tugged at her mind, soothing and serene, the urge to slip back into darkness overwhelming. She could almost smell the salty scent of the sea that seemed to perpetually follow Percy wherever he went, feel his warm body pressed against hers, the rise and fall of his chest ...

She sat bolt upright. No, something wasn't right ...

 _No! PERCY!_ The scream - _hers_ , she realized - echoed in her ears.

All vestiges of sleep were now gone as she spun wildly, eyes frantically scanning all present, regarding her with shocked and pitying eyes, for a flash of sea green, a teasing smirk. But all she could see was the ominous darkness.

"Annabeth ..." Thalia was crouched in front of her, her sparking eyes betraying her concern. She reached out for her best friend, only to have her hand smacked away.

"No - I have to find him -" Annabeth attempted to scramble up and flee, but numerous bodies blocked her way. "Get out of my way!" She was already half-sobbing, not caring if she sounded hysterical.

"Annabeth - Annabeth, stop -"

She slashed wildly with her dagger, intent on one thing and one thing only. " _Get out of my way!_ " Even to her own ears, she sounded feral, and a small voice in the back of her mind said _stop, you're going to hurt them_ , but it was steadily growing fainter and she easily ignored it.

"Annabeth, listen to me, you're going to get yourself killed - Percy's gone, we can't lose you too!"

Unfortunately for Piper, Aphrodite's disownment had robbed any traces of charmspeak from her, and her pleas fell on deaf ears. Annabeth's head snapped up, grey eyes shooting daggers at her friend, and launched herself at Piper. "Percy's not _gone_!" she screamed, even though she had enough sense to keep her voice somewhat lowered. Even in a half-crazed state, she knew enough to not attract every monster within a mile radius. "He's still alive, I know it - he wouldn't leave me - I just have to find him, but _you won't let me_!" Her movements grew increasingly erratic, her eyes darting between the former demigods. "Let me _go_!"

Leo stepped forward, eyes blazing as she coiled back, ready to spring at Piper. He moved in front of Piper protectively, his girlfriend sending him a grateful look, not missing Jason, on her other side, attempting to do the exact same thing. With one gesture, a wall of fire steadily grew between Annabeth and the other demigods, preventing her escape. Hissing, she recoiled, dagger still out, pacing the length of the barricade, seemingly looking for weaknesses. There were none.

"I'm sorry, Annabeth," Thalia murmured, moving as close to the fire as she dared, her heart going out to the sobbing girl crumpled on the ground, all the fight having gone out of her. "Percy ... he did what he did so you could live. He wouldn't want to see you like this," she pleaded.

Annabeth didn't even look up. "If you really were sorry, you would let me go," she growled back. Her voice broke as shuddering sobs wracked her body. "I don't want to live without him," she whispered, more to herself than to the surrounding demigods, but Thalia still heard, and she turned away, her face a mask of grief.


	10. Hope

~THALIA~

Sending one last sorrowful glance at the form lying crumpled inside Leo's ring of fire, Thalia quietly beckoned to her two companions and left the cave - little more than a crevice, really - on silent feet. Heart weighed down with grief, she made a silent promise to the broken girl she considered her little sister. _Don't worry, Annabeth. I'll find Percy_ , she vowed, even though in her heart she knew it was a hopeless endeavour. She owed it to both Percy and Annabeth to try, though; and she knew that if Percy was really gone, Annabeth would soon follow. She couldn't bear to lose both of them, even if they would be better off dead than facing Tartarus again.

Dragging a kicking and screaming Annabeth away from the site where they had crash-landed was no easy feat, and as a result they'd only managed to relocate a few miles away from the vast multicoloured pool, luckily finding a small crevice where they could regroup and bide their time. Their only sources of information were either suspected to be dead or alternately screaming and sobbing on the ground, nursing a shattered heart. Nico would be no help, as he'd barely gotten a glimpse before being kidnapped and put into that accursed bronze jar; his features were already starting to look a little washed out, a perpetually terrified look plastered on his face. She couldn't blame him; from what little she'd seen of Tartarus so far, it was no amusement park.

This particular part of Tartarus was eerily devoid of life, the very atmosphere itself silent and oppressive. Thalia hardly even dared to breathe as she, Frank and Hazel darted from boulder to boulder, attempting to seek out as much cover as they could, even though there was little in the sparse, bare landscape of Tartarus. Every so often, there was a slight rumble in the ground that caused all three of them to freeze and tighten their grip on their weapons, fearing the worst. They were all on edge, ready to leap into action at a moment's notice.

Though they all knew it was dangerous and chances were Percy was well and truly gone, it had been an unanimous decision to send out a scouting party after him. He was a part of their family, and had saved all of their lives on multiple occasions. None of them could bear to give up on him if there was even a slight chance that he had survived; and knowing Percy, he just might: he was a master in defying all odds. The only question had been who to send. Annabeth was immediately out of the question; she was desperate and unhinged, and would most likely throw herself into the deadly pool the first chance she got, throwing caution to the wind. Leo was needed to maintain her makeshift fire-prison, and Piper had adamantly refused to be parted from him; that left Jason, Nico, Thalia, Frank and Hazel. Ghastly white and slumped against the nearest surface, Nico was clearly in no condition to go anywhere, and Jason had graciously offered to watch him, which had led to more than a few raised brows and knowing glances. Apparently, they'd been growing close ever since an excursion during their journey on the Argo II, and neither would divulge exactly what happened, piquing their friends' curiosities. In other circumstances, Thalia would be relentlessly grilling her cousin and brother on what exactly had happened, but right now she had more pressing matters on her mind. Which led to her current situation: crouched behind a boulder with Frank and Hazel as they waited for the latest tremor to subside. They had left as soon as Annabeth had succumbed to her exhaustion, and though a part of her broke to leave her sister in all but blood behind, vulnerable, she trusted Jason, Nico, Leo and Piper enough to leave her in their capable hands.

Hazel's eyes were wide and she was trembling slightly; Frank had angled his body so that he was shielding her, peering out from behind the boulder. Despite their current predicament, Thalia couldn't help but smile a little as she watched them. She had never officially met or worked with either Frank or Hazel, but from what she could tell, they were both sweet and lovable, but also excellent fighters. She wished they'd had more time to get to know each other before being thrown into Tartarus.

The telltale shimmer of the pool was just visible from her position, but the surface was still and glassy. No sign of movement. She swallowed down a lump of disappointment and tears, steeling herself. They'd already scouted around the shores and found nothing, and they couldn't afford to linger any longer. They were too exposed with the limited cover, even with the protection seemingly afforded them by the pool. Not a single monster had been sighted, though infrequent roars and howls sounded occasionally in the distance, seemingly afraid of the pool and what it symbolized. None were willing to risk falling in and being vaporized instantly.

She closed her eyes, trying and failing to choke back tears. It was hard to comprehend the fact that Percy was really _gone_ , just like that. For a while, he'd seemed a bit like a cockroach, impossible to kill and always popping up when you least expected him, with that infamous smirk on his face, leaving her caught between the urge to hug him or shock him with a thousand volts of lightning. But now ...

Thalia squashed the last glimmer of hope in her heart mercilessly, mentally saying good-bye to her cousin. He had deserved better than this; they all had, but he had sacrificed himself so that they could carry on and hopefully manage to exact revenge on the Olympians. She couldn't fail his memory, not now. She had to stay strong for Frank and Hazel. For Annabeth. Percy wouldn't have wanted her to fall apart over him; he'd most likely have snickered and teased her mercilessly until it escalated into a full blown war between the two cousins.

Turning to her two companions, she steeled herself, opening her mouth to give the order to leave, but was cut off by a gasp from Hazel. She had partially crawled out from the shelter of the rock, and her mouth was wide open in shock, her finger pointed straight in the direction of the pool. One word from her mouth stopped Thalia's heart dead, igniting a fresh inferno of hope.

" _Percy?_ "

* * *

Even though every fiber in her body wanted to immediately rush to the sprawled-out form that had just been spat out by the pool, Thalia still regarded herself as the responsible one, and held an impatient Frank and Hazel back, cautiously scanning their surroundings before swiftly darting to Percy's side. At first, she hadn't believed her own eyes when she witnessed the pool regurgitating him up, multicoloured droplets flying everywhere. They'd quickly taken cover as the deadly water fell like rain, pressed up against the boulder, knowing that even one drop could spell death. When she could no longer hear the soft splatters and hisses that the droplets made as they made contact with the glass-sand, dissolving it with the merest touch, she poked her head out from behind the boulder, checking that Percy was still there. Part of her was still shuttered, not daring to believe that it was actually Percy, but as they neared, she felt hope blossoming in her heart.

"Percy!" Hazel cried softly, taking a step forward, her hand outstretched as if she meant to shake him awake, but Thalia quickly grabbed it. Hazel looked at her, puzzled, a spark of anger beginning to flare in her eyes, but Thalia shook her head.

"Tartarus is filled with tricks and deceits," she said, glancing around to confirm that there were no monsters trying to sneak up on them, vulnerable as they were. "This could very well be a trick from the river nymphs to drag us into their rivers." As much as she herself wanted to hug the life out of Percy, she knew that, in Tartarus, her own eyes couldn't be trusted.

Reluctantly, Hazel nodded, taking a few steps back, though her eyes were still trained on Percy. She, like Thalia, didn't trust him not to just disappear before their eyes, or worse, reach out for them and throw them into the sparkling pool.

Thalia bit her lip as the three of them stood in a loose circle, staring intently at Percy. What should they do now? They couldn't risk standing too close, or touching him, for fear that he had river water still on his body. They also couldn't linger - they had already stayed too long, surely the others were beginning to worry - but they couldn't drag him back yet. And she had no way of knowing when he would wake up.

Thankfully, just as she was contemplating their options, she heard a low groan and finally, the prone form began to twitch. Relief flooded her body - she'd thought maybe they'd gotten their hopes up for nothing, that all they had been left with was his lifeless corpse - but she still took a couple of precautionary steps back as they waited for him to become aware of their presence. She tensed as he started to sit up, blinking a couple of times ... then turning unmistakeable sea-green eyes on them. In that moment, she _knew_ it was him; no monster would be able to imitate those unique eyes so perfectly.

He stared at her, and she stared back; neither seemed willing to break their impromptu staring competition. Thalia had been struck speechless by the sight of her cousin back from the dead, but it seemed Percy suffered from no such issues.

"Thalia? What are you doing here?"

The sound of his voice seemed to shock her out of her stupor, and she stifled a muffled cry that was halfway between sob and laugh.

"You - you idiot!" she cursed. "What the Hades possessed you to do that? Annabeth's been worried sick, I was half afraid she'd throw herself in after you!" Unable to stop herself any longer, she collapsed to her knees next to him and, in a rare display of emotion, threw her arms around him, her face buried in his shoulder. "Don't you _ever_ do something like that again, you dolt!" Reflexively, she pulled away from him and lightly touched his shoulder, preparing to unleash the wrath of her lightning bolts on him. He flinched, used to this sort of behaviour from his aggressive cousin - but was completely unprepared for the agonized scream she let out instead.

* * *

"Thalia? Thalia, can you hear me?" A soft, urgent voice broke through the haze of pain. She whimpered and thrashed uncontrollably, her muscles beyond her control. Spasms wracked her body, her arms jerking as if she'd been struck by lightning. Ironic, since she had been the one preparing to shock Percy with lightning. Her mouth felt thick and dry; she couldn't speak.

"What's wrong with her?" Hazel's distressed voice sounded in her ear, and she grimaced, squeezing her eyes shut tightly. Even the soft voice sent unimaginable pain through her. What was happening to her?

"I don't know." Percy sounded troubled, his voice thick with worry. A rough, callused hand was pressed against her forehead, smoothing out her hair tenderly. She let out a pained moan, and the hand was quickly withdrawn. Her eyes fluttered open, catching a glimpse of sea-green eyes above her before the pain became too much and she had to retreat into darkness again.

"She was preparing to shock me." Percy now sounded thoughtful. "I think ... I think it's because Zeus disowned her. She doesn't have the power anymore, and her body's just reacting to the loss of that power when she tried to use it."

The agony seemed to be subsiding, and through the fog in her brain, Thalia thought, _Wow, Kelp Head's actually pretty smart._ Then she scoffed at herself, because when did _Percy_ and _smart_ ever belong in the same sentence? She must be in even more pain than she'd realized if she was thinking that.

"Thalia?"

And okay, maybe she spoke too soon, because as soon as the voice penetrated the haze in her mind, the pain returned. She tried to speak, but the words felt like cotton in her mouth, bringing about a fresh wave of suffering and delivering her into oblivion.


End file.
